Display bedrail



Oct. 6, 1953 R. w. NORRIS DISPLAY BEDRAIL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 13. 1951 W v J m M Ml ATTORNEYS Oct. 6, 1953 R. w. NORRIS 2,654,101

DISPLAY BEDRAIL Filed Nov. 13, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY AZLMM! ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1953 UNIT ED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE DISPLAY BEDRAIL Raymond W. Norris,v Warren, Pa.

Application November 13, 1951, Serial No. 255,969

Claims.

The present invention relates to display bed rails. Such bed rails are short rails used to conmeet the. headboard and footboard of a bedstead for display purposes.v I am aware that display bedrails are not broadly new; my invention pertains to improvements in such bed rails.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a bed rail which can be easily and quickly applied, and which will hold the headboard and footboard in rigid and stable condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display bed rail which requires a single simple movement of a lever to enable it to be assembled with the other elements of the bedstead.

- Another object of the invention is to provide a display bed rail which looks itself when assembled with the other elements of the bedstead, and which will not be released unintentionally.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a display bed rail which compensates for variations in dimensions of bedposts and for variations of the postions of the conventional pins in such posts so that the bed rail can accommodate-all beds of all manufacturers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display bed rail which maintains resilient tension on the assembled bedstead, so that the assemblyis rigid at alltimes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a display bed rail which can be manufactured and assembled at low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are referred to in the following detailed description of an exemplary form of my invention, This description has reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of portions of head and foot boards assembled with one of my display bed rails.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken generally inthe direction of the arrows along the line 2-2 of Figure l, and showing the elements just prior to assembly;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but illustrating the elements in assembled condition;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 55 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 6--6 of Figure 4.

The display bed rail comprises a body member having parallel side walls 1 and 8- whi-ch are preferably integral with a top wall 9". The bottom of the body member is preferably open. The bodymember includes end walls Ill andhaving flanges which may be spot welded to the side walls I and 8. The end walls Itand I l preferably project both above and below the body member toprovide greater areas of contact with the headboard 2, and the footboard I 3. These greater areas of contact increase the stability of the assembled bedstead.

A fulcrum M, which may take the form of a bolt having a nut I 5, extends through 1011- gitudinally extending slots It and H- in the side walls 7 and 8, respectively. The fulcrum pin M is thus capable of limited movement longitudinally of the bed rail for a purpose hereinafter described.

A lever which is designated generally by the reterenee numeral It is pivotally mounted on the fulcrum pin M. The lower end I! of this lever preferably projects slightly below the open lower edge of the bed rail so that it iseasily accessible. A of oppositely directed hook shanks 23 and 21 are provided with longitudinally extending slots 22- and 23, respectively, and the fulcrum pin H passes through those slots. The hook shanks and 2! are also provided with transversely extending slots: 24 and 25 respectively, which receive pins 26 and '21 which are fixed to opposite faces of the lever I 8 on opposite sides of the iul crum pin l4.

Hook shanks 20 and ill extend through apertures or slits 2-8 and 28' in the end walls NJ and M, respectively. These hook shanks are provided hooks 3! and 31 ontheir outer ends. At-

least one and preferably both of the hook shanks is provided with resilent means which enables the shank to be resiliently elongated within limits. As bestshown in Figures 4- and 6, the hook shank Ill has oppositely directed flanges 32 and 33 struck therefrom. These flanges 32 and 33 cooperate with similarly positioned flanges 34 and 35 which are struck from the outer portion 36 of the hook shank. Screws 3'! and 38 pass through apertures in the flanges 34 and 35 and are threaded into apertures in the flanges 32 and 33. These screws are surrounded by compression springs 39 and 40 which permit resilient longitudinal extension of the hook shank 20. The hook shank 2! is provided with similar flanges, screws and springs for permitting resilient longitudinal extension thereof.

Figure 2 illustrates the bed rail in position to be attached to a headboard l2 and a footboard II. The hook shanks 20 and 2| with their associated hooks 30 and 3| are projected outwardly as far as possible from the end walls In and II. The lever I8 is in the position illustrated in Figure 2. To complete the assembly, it is necessary to merely pivot the lever I8 in a counterclockwise direction to the position illustrated in Figure 3. The mechanism which has been described above will cause the hook shanks 20 and 2| and their associated hooks to be retracted inwardly relative to the end walls III and I I. The hook 39 engages the conventional pin 4| in the footboard I3, while the hook 3| engages the conventional pin 42 in the headboard I2. The end walls I and I I are forced against the footboard and headboard, and the entire assembly is securely held in stable condition.

By reference to Figure 3, it will be seen that the pin 26 is positioned slightly above the fulcrum pin I4, and that the pin 21 is positioned slightly below the fulcrum pin. The arrangement is thus what might be termed an over center mechanism, and the device is self-locking in the assembled condition. The resilient means which permits limited longitudinal extension of the hook shanks 20 and 2| is necessary to the attainment of this self-locking feature. This capacity of the resilient hook shanks also enables the bed rail to accommodate itself to various positions of the pins 4| and 42 within the headboard and footboard. It will be understood that this device is used with various forms of bedsteads manufactured by different manufacturers, and that there is not absolute uniformity among such bedsteads.

I have mentioned above that the fulcrum pin I4 is received in longitudinally extending slots I6 and I! in the side walls I and 8. I have found that such slots are essential to enable the bed rail to accommodate itself to the discrepancies in the dimensions of various bedposts with which the device may be used.

It will be noted that the shape of the hooks 30 and 3| is opposite to the shape of the hooks of conventional bed rails. The hook shape illustrated in the drawings has been found to facilitate assembly of the display bed rail with the other elements of the bedstead.

The side walls I and 8 of the top wall 9 are preferably integral, and are formed from sheet metal. There are no internal guides within the body member. The linkage represented by the lever I8 and the hook shanks 20 and 2| with their associated hooks can be assembled exteriorly of the body member, and then inserted through the open lower edge of the body member. Assembly is thus facilitated. The fact that the body member is closed except at its lower edge improves the appearance of the bed rail, and facilitates dusting of the furniture to which Cir the rail is applied. It is obvious that the ex- 6 terior surface of the body member may be finished in any appropriate manner.

I have illustrated and described what I now consider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention. However, it will be apparent that various alterations and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the broader scope of the invention which is defined by the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A display bed rail comprising a body member having spaced end walls, a laterally extending fulcrum pin positioned between said end walls, a lever pivotally mounted on said fulcrum pin, a pair of oppositely directed hook shanks extending through said end walls, a hook on the outer end of each of said shanks, each of said shanks having a longitudinally extending slot therein through which said fulcrum pin passes, each of said shanks also having a transversely extending slot therein, and pins on said lever within said transversely extending slots whereby pivotal movement of said lever causes longitudinal movement of said shanks.

2. A display bed rail comprising a body member having spaced side walls and spaced end walls, a fulcrum pin extending between said side walls, a lever pivotally mounted on said pin between said side walls, a pair of oppositely directed hook shanks between said side walls and extending through said end walls, a hook on the outer end of each of said shanks, and means connecting said lever to each of said shanks for projecting said hooks outwardly relative to said end walls on pivotal movement of said lever in one direction, said connecting means being effective to retract said hooks relative to said end Walls on pivotal movement of said lever in the opposite direction.

3. A display bed rail as described in claim 2, in which at least one of said shanks is provided with resilient means which permits limited longitudinal extension of such shank.

4. A display bed rail as described in claim 2, in which said fulcrum pin is capable of limitgd movement longitudinally of said body mem- 5. A display bed rail as described in claim 2, in which said fulcrum pin is capable of limited movement longitudinally of said body member, and in which at least one of said shanks is provided with resilient means which permits limited longitudinal extension of such shank.

RAYMOND W. NORRIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,226,208 Nowell et al Dec. 24, 1940 2,587,874 Mockel Mar. 4, 1952 

